


What's In a Motive?

by Emme2589



Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [4]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Eavesdropping, Established Relationship, Fluff, French Kissing, Government Supported Private Investigator Ending | GSPI (Henry Stickmin), International Rescue Operative Ending | IRO (Henry Stickmin), M/M, Romantic Fluff, Rough Kissing, Secret Relationship, Teasing, general dadforce activated, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27583937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: Galeforce is worried about why Henry is so close to Charles, until he sees something that makes him question what he thought he knew about the ex-convict.
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin
Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011435
Comments: 6
Kudos: 188





	What's In a Motive?

It was hard not to worry.

General Galeforce paced around in his office, his brow furrowed with both hands clasped behind his back. Henry had just gotten back to base the other day after his false reimprisonment, and it reminded him what Henry was capable of. What was going to stop him from going rogue and heading straight back to his old criminal activity?

He'd seen the way Henry seemed to eye Charles with destain and unease during the airship mission, like he was ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Sure, he brought down the airship, and he and Charles ended up as quite the formidable team afterwards, but Henry had done so for the pardon, and if Galeforce knew one thing about Henry, it's that he needed a solid motive to do things. So, if he stayed, then why?

_"Hey! No fair!"_

A laugh came from just outside. It sounded like Charles.

Galeforce cracked his office door open. Charles was another one of his concerns. He was like a son to him, so if Charles' life was in danger, it was his business. Henry seemed to be rather close to him lately, and rumors spread fast when everyone associated with each other. The general wasn't ashamed to admit that it terrified him wondering why Henry was so interested in him.

"I told you to quit it!" Henry pushed Charles away, a candy bar in his other hand, "No chocolate for jerks!"

"Heeenryyyyy!" Charles drawled, reaching for the bar, "I already said I was sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"If you're really sorry, then you'll let me have this one!"

_"Nooo!"_

They were both smiling, their movements uncoordinated and weak, so Galeforce knew there was no true threat. Still, he watched, an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"I told you not to take it!" Henry said in a sing-song voice, "You're always going on about how you think stealing is wrong, and yet my candy stash is fair game."

"I already said I was sorry!" Charles repeated a little more exasperatingly as he backed away, "Come on, Henry! I paid for that one! Just let me have it!"

Henry was about to retort again, but instead, he took the bar out of its wrapper and put half of it in his mouth.

"If you want it." he grinned around the bar held between his teeth, "Come and get it."

Galeforce began to feel like this was something he wasn't meant to see, and yet, he couldn't look away. He was ready to jump in at any moment to help Charles if he needed it. He saw Charles' face turn completely red, and he was just a hair's width away from kicking Henry off base for doing something so inappropriate. Then, Charles did something that surprised him.

He grinned before pulling Henry in and closing his mouth around the bar, biting through it until he reached Henry's lips, when the two men began to fight over the melting chocolate and crunchy pretzel insides of the bar, their mouths scrambling over each other as teeth scraped against tongue.

"Mmph! Ha!" Charles pushed back, wiping smeared chocolate from his mouth, "I got most of it!"

"Well, joke's on you, because I got to kiss you."

"Henry, if we weren't in the middle of a hallway on base, I'd do more than just kiss you."

"Ah!" Henry pulled his hood up over his head, _"Don't say things like that."_

"Haha! Sorry. You know what I mean, though." Charles took Henry's hands away from his face, "If we head back to my room...we can watch bad movies and cuddle on the couch...?"

"Oh, um...are you asking me on a date?"

Charles blushed, "Only if you say yes."

Galeforce was so dumbstruck, he forgot that he was technically eavesdropping. The two of them walked hand in hand back down the hall until they disappeared around the corner, and Galeforce stepped away from the door, trying to process what he'd just seen.

Henry was a master of deception, that much was clear, but Galeforce was a master of seeing through deception, and Henry really didn't seem like he was trying to trick Charles into, what, falling in love with him? Even if he was...what was the purpose? Henry had to have a motive. He was the last person who would do something for no reason. Even if he wanted to just mess with Charles, or betray him later and break his heart, surely being friends would be more than enough, and even then, Henry was pragmatic enough that just messing with someone seemed like too flimsy of a goal for the amount of effort it would take to keep up the deception.

That left only one option; Henry was putting up no deception at all. Henry's goal was Charles himself.

It seemed nigh impossible at first. Henry the ex-criminal whom had stolen so many gems it would put Pink Panther to shame falling in love with the goody-two-shoes helicopter pilot who had been in the force since high school. And yet, the more the old general thought about it, the more it made sense. Henry was practically glued to Charles' side whenever they were on base together, smiling warmly at everything he did and accepting any of his offers for hugs and such. Galeforce had also never heard Henry speak so much than when Charles was present, and it was clear it was because he was a little more at ease.

Galeforce let a small, fond smile stretch across his face, finally realizing that all of his fears were in vain. Henry had no interest in returning to crime, and Charles was part of the reason. It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to find partners in the force. In fact, Charles' father, who was a good friend of Galeforce, was one such example, as both he and Charles' mother were once enlisted. Henry was human, and he had feelings like one too, so maybe all he really needed was a fighting chance, and a little bit of love.

Galeforce sat down at his desk, finally able to focus on his work now that his fears had been put to rest. Maybe he would talk to Henry later. It seemed that he had some things he needed to ask.

***


End file.
